CHAPTER 30 #4
Hedy placed the cut cookies into the oven and said meaningfully, "You've become an excellent prince—and you'll be quite the cook as well."
"I've already learned how to bake pizza," he said with some pride. "And I can also make small burgers."
She smiled and kissed his lips, then, by the stove, showed him how to shape a little rabbit from the leftover dough.
"In our time..." Hedy whispered, "We would always make gingerbread at Christmas."
She began to tell stories about the candy house and the old witch, and Leonardo listened, utterly captivated.
The rich aroma of the cookies wafted through the warm air, the wheat fully baked into its earthy scent, making everyone feel hungry.
"We should tell that mermaid story again sometime," he said sincerely. "It was truly beautiful."
——
Although the British ambassador was somewhat skeptical about the invitation to "bring the king himself to Florence as a guest," he politely expressed his gratitude and, three days later, departed with his attendants in a carriage.
From summer to autumn, subtle changes were taking place across Italy.
— The scrutiny of incoming refugees began to tighten, and areas such as universities started to strengthen patrols and identity checks, paying closer attention to the comings and goings of students.
The stationed military forces at the ports began to increase, and more mercenaries began to hold fixed positions and roles.
At the same time, commerce and agriculture in various regions were developing at an incredible pace. This land was already fertile, and with the large varieties of crops Columbus had brought back from the East, they even found ways to cultivate pepper.
Many of the burdensome taxes were completely abolished, and farmers no longer had to be drained of the last silver coin in their pockets when autumn came. The population began to grow at an accelerated pace.
Idle mercenaries, according to government orders, helped with the reclamation and cultivation of land, and more and more foreign crops began to take root and thrive in the land.
In industry and commerce, workshops began to spread like wildfire in various cities, absorbing large amounts of labor.
Penicillin was being widely produced—it was still monopolized by the Medici family, but its price had become affordable for the majority of people.
The government issued strict orders to control the number of rats and filth in the streets, and the trend of keeping cats gradually became popular.
At the beginning of September, the first steam engine officially started running in the textile factory in Florence.
It was fully powered by coal, and a single machine could match the work speed of dozens of people, working tirelessly day and night.
Engineers from the Florence Academy gathered around, opened a bottle of wine, and shared a large cup with the workers, all smiles.
At this moment, a letter arrived from England, with the red and white roses on the wax seal still classical and elegant.
Their king had already set out and was expected to arrive in Florence around October.
The queen, upon receiving the letter, was sitting beside a cradle, using a small bell to play with Antonia.
"a—a!" The little girl tried to make a sound. "aa!"
Leonardo, who was sitting nearby reading, froze for two seconds in disbelief and said, "Hedy—did you hear what she just said?!"
"She's only nine months old..." Hedy, thinking she had misheard, placed the letter aside and asked, "Say it again?"
The little girl tilted her head at them, silent, not making a sound.
Meanwhile, Alberto, in the other cradle, was holding onto the edge, and in his baby voice, he also managed to say, "aa."
Leonardo felt as if his heart was about to melt.
He almost lost his balance, picked up one of the children, and was so happy he could have spun in place.
"Hedy—"
"I heard it too," Hedy said slowly, resting her chin on her hand. "You can be happy for five more minutes, but then I'm going to get jealous."
By now, she no longer had to guide any of the research at the Florence Academy—
From electromagnetism to engineering, from chemistry to pharmacology, more and more subjects were developing their own systems and paths, and they were continually attracting more researchers.
When some papers and progress reports were submitted, there were formulas and contents she no longer understood.
It was a good thing.
More and more specialized talents were being born, and the system of science was slowly unfolding.
The Medici family provided generous sponsorships to institutions like the University of Milan and the University of Venice, encouraging more scientific research under both political and commercial influences. New theories, like flocks of birds, continued to break out of their shells.
Leonardo, having played enough with the children, reluctantly returned them to their cradles and sat back down beside her.
"Have you heard about the things going on with the old and new nobility?"
"I've heard," she replied, handing the letter to Dechio, who was waiting nearby. "I heard they fought during the meeting today?"
"It was an argument I encouraged," the prince said proudly. "An old count's hair was almost torn out."
Hedy had heard about this issue before.
And more accurately, this whole matter had been stirred up by her from the start.
When Niccolò discovered the situation, he genuinely expressed his admiration for both the teacher and his lover.
"They really make a great pair."
The new and old forces were developing simultaneously, and the related contradictions and conflicts had been quite apparent since the founding of the Empire.
When the Italian Empire was established, the old nobility had been stripped of many things due to the establishment of regional governments.
They still held their territories but no longer had the power to collect taxes and other rights. However, they enjoyed exclusive policies when investing in various industries and could even mortgage or sell parts of their property to take loans from the government.
The queen and her advisers were well-versed in the art of balance, making the old nobility feel that they had regained many benefits through various compensations.
Compared to the meager rice in the hands of the farmers and the army, which was actually more of a burden, the nobility now had more opportunities to seize markets.
At the same time, the emerging merchants were doing everything they could to seize opportunities and wealth.
They were more sensitive and willing to endure hardship than the pleasure-loving aristocrats.
With the renewed prosperity of the market and order, the emerging class continued to grow stronger, and the influence of the lower house of parliament also steadily increased.
The old nobility wanted more privileges, the new nobility sought greater equality, and the queen needed them to fight among themselves.
She continually created opportunities for them to meet and discuss, and with remarkable foresight, she balanced the various powers, allowing them to check and influence each other.
Both the upper and lower houses initially thought they would stay out of each other's way, but gradually, the meetings grew longer, and the disputes became more intense.
Both sides began to realize the flaws and shortcomings in the existing laws, and each desired to introduce policies that would benefit them.
In the process, they unconsciously began to pay attention to the queen's inclinations and sought various ways to attract her attention.
Monarchy, policies, rules, innovation...
Many horses were bound together by this unceasing dispute, speeding ahead at a faster pace.
When Leonardo attended a meeting today, he immediately felt that everyone was staring at him as soon as he walked in.
The meeting hall of the Old Palace was resplendent with gold and grandeur, like a divine palace, yet the atmosphere was cold and severe, almost to the point of freezing.
According to the pre-arranged schedule, this meeting would discuss the issue of agricultural and handmade product export taxes.
Leonardo had not slept well the night before, disturbed by the children, and now he had faint dark circles under his eyes.
He hadn't even recognized the faces of the members of parliament when groups of people rushed to shake his hand.
"Your Highness—"
"Mr. Leonardo—"
"Please, you must listen to our appeals, Your Highness—"
"Ignore those vulgar merchants!"
As he made his way through the crowd, it felt like he was part of a parade, and the dozens of people shouting at once made his head spin.
Finally, he found his seat and sat down, beginning to listen to the speeches and debates from both sides. He soon started to feel drowsy.
The old gentlemen were always particular about the formality of their speeches, deliberately pausing and building up tension as they spoke.
Leonardo didn’t notice the impatient glares from the other side, and as he listened, he felt himself slipping into a dreamlike state.
He wasn’t sure who spoke first, but soon someone stood up, and the situation quickly spiraled out of control.
The two factions initially raised their voices louder and louder, then began shouting at the top of their lungs.
In the chaos, someone’s wig was knocked off, and then someone else threw that wig through the air. The crowd then stood up from their seats and started shoving each other, and some even began attempting to strike others with thick law books.
This event was truly a reflection of the Renaissance—similar brawls had occurred in the Roman Senate over a thousand years ago.
And, 500 years later, this remained an ancient tradition in some parliaments.
Leonardo had intended to take a nap during the meeting and wait for it to end, but in the midst of the chaos, a hat flew through the air and landed directly on his face, crookedly perched on his head.
"Calm down—" he tried to mediate. "Sit down and talk if you have a problem!"
An elderly man shouted a curse and threw a freshly brewed pot of tea into the air.
In the chaos, Leonardo instinctively began searching for Niccolò, only to find the young man sitting in a corner, eating from a can, completely uninterested in the commotion.
… The walls of the hall were still adorned with paintings by Botticelli and himself. He couldn’t help but think that if a cup of water were thrown on them, they would be nearly impossible to restore.
The prince, slightly annoyed, slipped out of the room, grabbed a trombone, and blew a powerful blast.
The sound was like an elephant suddenly shrieking.
People froze for two seconds, still tugging at each other’s clothes in a frenzy.
Leonardo blew two more blasts, completely silencing them.
"The queen will be questioning the progress of the meeting tomorrow," he said, his face stern and cold, jumping off the table. "And this display of yours is proving to me your impulsiveness and lack of wisdom—if this is what you want."
Many immediately backed down, adjusting their clothes and hair before sheepishly returning to their seats.
Some of the older men muttered a few curses reluctantly, only to be met with harsh glares from the other side.
Leonardo, now fully awake, casually hung the trombone nearby and signaled for the meeting to continue.
He couldn’t help but think that he probably wouldn’t have time to return and have lunch with Hedy.
These fools would likely keep debating until the afternoon.
Perhaps they had tugged on each other’s hair and clothes too fiercely earlier, as now, with everyone seated again, they seemed at a loss for words.
Niccolò in the corner wiped his mouth, finally putting down the can.
"Burp."